Rock salt, snow blowers and other winter essentials

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Enviro Thaw – the green alternative to rock salt

Rock salt is all very well – it does the job, and generally pretty well – but it’s not the only game in town when it comes to clearing snow and ice. An alternative product promoted as being better for the environment, your carpets and your pet’s paws is called Enviro Thaw.

Enviro thaw – a greener alternative to rock salt

Available from greenfingers.com at £10.99 per 4kg tub, it works at far lower temperatures than we usually see in the UK and biodegrades when its job is done. It’s also economical, as 50g will clear just under a square meter.

Its pale blue granules work quicker than salt and are long-lasting, keeping for up to two years in a sealed container. They are also promoted as avoiding harm to pets’ paws and to plant life.

One customer review on the greenfingers.com site declared “it really works”, adding: “I tested this product on my path as it was lethal with ice, and it has broken up the ice into slush within hours of being applied. And I don’t have to worry about the dog’s paws with it either.”

Enviro Thaw works by generating a gentle heat to melt the ice, unlike salt which changes the chemistry of the ice so that it freezes at a lower temperature, and can be used either on its own or mixed with salt.

As an agricultural by-product rather than a mineral, it avoids all the usual problems with staining, residues and corrosion.

Because of this, some local authorities in the UK (and their American equivalents) have mixed it into the salt in gritter lorries to reduce the damage it does (see the sidebar in this BBC report).